As human beings, we tend to be creatures of habit. This is especially apparent when it comes to the foods we eat.  All too often we stick to rigid conventions about what foods constitute breakfast versus lunch or dinner items.  Since going vegan, I’ve thrown these conventions aside, having things like soup or even a leftover brisket of seitan for breakfast. Today, instead of my regular “Ooohmega Oats” breakfast, I threw my fiber/omega mix into a different grain base, opting to have quinoa for breakfast today.  (I know quinoa is technically a seed and not a grain, but you know what I meant.) It was a delightful and very satisfying variation on the same theme.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 large servings

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (traditional)
2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (or any nut or grain milk of your choice)
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBL  dark brown sugar
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
6 dates, diced
6 prunes, diced
4 TBL raw unsalted walnuts, chopped
2 TBL ground flaxseed
2 TBL slivered almonds
2 TBL Zante currants
1 medium banana, sliced into rounds

Directions:

1.   Take your cup of dry quinoa and rinse it well in a wire-mesh strainer (if you aren’t using a pre-rinsed commercial brand).

2.  Add quinoa, milk and salt together in a medium sized pot, cover and heat on high until it comes to a boil.  Once boiling, give it a quick stir making sure to scrape down the sides of the pot, lower heat and allow it to simmer while covered on low temp for about 20 minutes.

3.  About 2-3 minutes before the quinoa is finished cooking, add the dark brown sugar and molasses.  Give it a few stirs to mix evenly and then let the quinoa continue cooking, melting in the sugar and molasses, until all of the liquid is absorbed.

4. Add the dates, prunes, almonds, walnuts, ground flaxseed and banana to the quinoa and mix well.

5. Serve while still very warm, and enjoy!